When Dubai Design Week launched in 2015, it welcomed 30,000 visitors. A decade later, the festival has grown fivefold, yet director Natasha Carella is adamant that it remains "digestible on a human level."
This balance – between ambitious scale and intimate accessibility – defines much of her approach to one of the region's most significant design gatherings.
Running until 9 November 2025, the 11th edition brings together over 300 participants at Downtown Design, large-scale installations, and a growing roster of programming that deliberately sidesteps what Carella calls "buzzwords." Instead, the festival is guided by three core principles: showcasing high-quality, original design; representing authentic voices from the region; and exploring how design can support a collective future.
Natasha Carella, Director of Programming, Dubai Design Week Credit: Dubai Design Week 2025
Carella speaks candidly about the challenges facing any large-scale event - rejecting claims of sustainability while acknowledging the imperative to "figure out new ways to build and to make."
It's this honesty that shapes Dubai Design Week's programming, from experimental materials like datecrete (made from date seeds) to explorations of vernacular architecture across the Arab world, where design traditions in Kuw
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